The Legend of Zelda: The Story of Link
by KirbyVictorious
Summary: Link's first and greatest adventure, Ocarina of Time...Only you've never seen it like this before. This time, let's see what Link thought as he journeyed to save the princess.
1. The Legend Begins

Chapter One The Legend Begins

My name is Link, and I am a Kokiri.

The Great Deku Tree tells me that I'm just like everyone else. And I look the same. We all look pretty much the same. But there's always something missing. The others, especially Mido, always tease me because I don't have a fairy. The Great Deku Tree gives us all a fairy when we are born, but I never had one. I don't understand why, and the Great Deku Tree won't tell me. He says I'll know some day. I wonder why I'm so different.

The forest is big, and that's good, because we aren't allowed outside. The trees close us in, like solid walls, but we can see the sky. There's a stream that runs across the field, and the trees that grow by it are hollow inside, so we live in them. We all have our own house. At night, we can see every star in the sky. But we can't see anything else. I don't even know if there is anything outside our forest. But we never get bored, and we're happy. The others play chase and race each other. Saria and me like to dance while she plays the ocarina. She's good at it, but somehow I could never get her song right. If she would just slow down, maybe I could play it, but she won't. I think she likes to tease me like that.

Her house is right next to mine, only mine is high up in a tree. We drew pictures on the bottom of it in charcoal once. They're still there, it doesn't ever rain here. I guess we don't need any, the Great Deku Tree takes care of us all without anyone's help but the Goddess's. The Great Deku Tree tells us many stories of the outside of our forest. He says it's not at all nice out there sometimes, and that's why we have to stay here. If we stay here, we won't ever get older. That makes us happy, because we don't want to get older. We're happy just the way we are.

He also tells us about the three Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, and how they made everything in the world. He says that even though the forest was of Farore's creation, we shound be thankful to them all. If it wasn't for Din's rich earth, and Nayru's sunny sky, the trees wouldn't grow. We all like his stories. They're just fairy tales, and some of them we never believe, even though he says it happened, out there in the world we never see. All the others seem content to just listen to his stories and stay here forever.

But I'm not. I want to see the rest of the world. Maybe that's why a fairy won't come to me. I shouldn't want to leave. I should be like all the others. They know that if they leave, they'll die. I don't want to die, but I still want to leave. But I'm afraid to ask the Great Deku Tree if I can. He'll say no for sure, and then I'll never get a fairy. I'll only get a fairy if I be like everyone else. But it's hard to. The only one that really likes me is Saria. I wish I could be like Mido; everyone seems to like him a lot. Maybe that's why the Great Deku Tree made him leader.

That day started out strangely. I had the dream again, for the hundredth time. There was a big place, made of white stone with lots of pointed parts on it, so that it looked like a tree. It had a weird symbol I had never seen before on the front of a big gate. It was open, but I couldn't see through it. The sky had gone all dark, and water fell from the sky. The Great Deku Tree had said something about that once. He had called it rain, and he said it only rained when a Goddess was crying. So I knew, if the Goddesses were crying (it must have been all of them, the water was flowing beside the castle) that something bad was happening. Then a white creature ran through the gate towards me, with two strange people on its back. One was big and heavy; she must have been one of the people of the world that grew old and died. And the other looked like a Kokiri, but she was wearing a white dress instead of our green clothes. What was she doing outside the forest? She looked back at me as the creature ran off, disappearing. And when I turned around, another creature, a black one, was heading right for me. And on its back was a big, strong person, not like anyone the Great Deku Tree had ever talked about before. I could tell he was chasing the Kokiri girl and the other person, and I wondered if he chased her out of the forest. But if she left, she would die…

And then I always wake up. I wish I knew what it all meant, but I don't want to ask. The others will only make fun of me, and the Great Deku Tree won't let me have a fairy if I act weird. I couldn't go back to sleep after that, and besides, it was really bright outside. So I went out to go find Saria. When I came out, she was right outside, waiting for me. "Hey, Link!" she called, "Good morning! Come down already, you're missing all the fun!"

Wondering what she meant, I climbed down the ladder, waving to her. "What d'you mean?" I asked her. She ran off, looking back at me. "The Deku Tree is telling us another story today!" she called back. I ran to catch up with her, and we raced to the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's meadow. But Mido was in front of the entrance, and he wouldn't let any of us through. Saria went right up to him, and his face turned a funny color. He likes Saria a lot, but she doesn't like him so much, she told me once. She thinks he was kind of bossy, and I do, too. "Let us through, Mido!" Saria told him. "The Great Deku Tree said he'd tell us a story!"

Mido wouldn't even lether through. "The Great Deku Tree isn't feeling good!" he told us. "So clear off! He'll tell us when he's better."

Everyone was sad, but they listened to him, going back to playing games. Saria stayed, trying to see over the trees to check if the Great Deku Tree really was sick. I thought that maybe if I could get by Mido, I could go cheer the Great Deku Tree up. He liked stories of the world outside our forest, so maybe I could tell him my dream. If it was just something I made up, he wouldn't think it was strange, and he might like it. So I tried to get by Mido while he watched Saria, who was standing on her toes to see the Great Deku Tree. But he saw me. "I said, no one's allowed in!" he repeated, stepping in front of me. "'Specially not you! You need a fairy to visit the Great Deku Tree."

"That's not fair, Mido!" Saria objected, glaring at him. "Link's been in there hundreds of times before!"

"But not by himself," Mido pointed out. "The Great Deku Tree gave us our fairies, so they're part of us. He wants to see them too! But he's just half a Kokiri without one."

I didn't say anything; I don't like talking to anyone but Saria and the Great Deku Tree. Saria didn't say anything to him either. She grabbed my hand, pulling me away from him. "Come on, Link," she said, and I followed her towards our place, behind Mido's house. When I looked back, he didn't look very happy at all. He looked mad at me, I guess because Saria likes me more than him.

Our place is a secret, and even Mido doesn't know about it. It's in the Lost Woods, another part of the forest. The Lost Woods are scary if you don't know them, and the Great Deku Tree always told us that if anyone but a Kokiri got lost in them, he or she would turn into a monster. I never saw any danger of that, because after all, there aren't people that aren't Kokiri out there. They're just Kokiri who grew up when they left the forest.

Saria first found our place, deep in the woods. It takes a long time to get there, and we always pass the weirdest places. There's a hole in the wall with rocks in front of it, and there's another hole at the bottom of a lake. It was too deep for me to dive to when I tried once, so I don't get why it's there. The woods are just strange like that, I guess. They're always echoing with Saria's song, because she plays it so much. And the song gets louder as we get closer to our place. In our place, there's a tree stump where we can both sit, and a slab of stone right in the middle of the meadow. There's a big hole in the wall above it, but the stairs are broken. I always wanted to go in there, but Saria never did. She said that it was the Forest Temple, and it was sacred. She said that she could feel it sometimes, and that right now, it was at rest. I never could feel anything, but I'm different from everyone else anyway. So I just always take Saria's word for it.

We raced each other to our place, knowing exactly where to go. Only we could find the way, and only we could get through the maze that came before it. We tied this time, and since we were tired and out of breath, we just sat while Saria played the ocarina. She played her favorite song again. I asked her to teach it to me, but she only laughed and played faster. After a while, we both got up to dance, and then we played for a while. Then we headed back to see if the Deku Tree was any better. Finding the way out of the woods is easy, because if a Kokiri got lost they would always end up at the beginning.

Mido was still looking mad, so we kept away from him. The others were playing chase, so we played too. But I got bored, because no one ever picks me, so I just sat in front of my door and watched them. And then something small and white flew right towards me.

It was a fairy.

"Link!" she said, in a high, cheery kind of voice. "Link, come quickly! The Great Deku Tree wants to see you!"

The Great Deku Tree wanted to see me? It was what I had wanted, but I had never expected this. "Who are you?" I said to her, making sure she was just the Great Deku Tree's messenger.

"I'm Navi, your fairy partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

I didn't know what to say. A fairy had finally come to me after so long, and it didn't seem real. "You're my fairy?" I said, just to be sure.

"Yep! And we need to see the Great Deku Tree right away! He has something important to tell you!"

"Okay," I said, climbing down the ladder again. I didn't really know what else to do, so I just listened to what she said. And she had a lot to say.

"This is good! So now I've found you, and you're here, and you're coming to see him, and I've done what he said! Maybe you can do something to help!"

So that was it. She really was just here to take me to the Great Deku Tree. But I didn't say anything about that. "What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"I don't really know, he'll have to explain it to you. Come on, can't you go any faster?"

"I'm going!"

But Mido was still there, and he wasn't going to move. "Not without a fairy!" he said shortly, standing in front of me. Navi, my new fairy, came out from behind me and waved her wings at him. His eyes got really big.

"A fairy? You got a fairy?"

I nodded, trying to get past him. He still wouldn't let me through. "Hold on a minute!"

I shook my head, still not wanting to talk to him. He held up a hand to stop me. "So you have a fairy and all, but you still can't just see the Great Deku Tree! It can be dangerous sometimes, so you need a sword and shield first!"

I didn't know what to say. A sword and shield! No one had those in the forest. There was a shield in the shop, I knew, and the Kokiri sword was hidden somewhere. But we weren't allowed to use that unless it was an emergency. Navi flew by my ear and said, "Come on, let's just do what he says, it'll be easier. Do you know where the Kokiri sword is?"

I nodded and walked away from Mido, who had a smug kind of look on his face. The Kokiri sword was through a tiny little hole, but I had never been inside there before. One of the other Kokiri was practicing nearby, but he ignored me, and I didn't say anything to him. I went through the hole, coming out on the other side.

It was a long, narrow tunnel, and there was a rumbling noise all around. "What's that noise?" Navi asked me. I shrugged. "Link, be careful going around corners!" she warned me. I didn't see anything in front or to my right, so I went left. I looked around the corner like Navi said, and then I saw what was making the rumbling sound. A big heavy boulder was rolling around and around in a circle. I wondered why it was there, but mostly, I just needed to get past it. The Kokiri Sword had to be around there. I waited until the timing was just right, then I ran behind the boulder, into a little space where it couldn't go. Then I did it again, as it rolled past me again, and ran into another little space. There was a chest there, so I opened it. In there, resting on a pile of leaves to keep it safe, was the Kokiri Sword.

"Great!" Navi said happily as I buckled it on. I pulled it out of its sheath, testing it. I liked the way it felt. "Now let's go get a shield!"

It was close, but I got out without being crushed by the boulder. I went back to my house and found some rupees under my bed, where I hid them. Rupees didn't really matter much in our forest. They were almost like another game to us. But we collected them anyway. I counted out forty and went to the shop.

Our shop is right next to the pond, by the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's meadow. I went in and got the Deku Shield, which I could tell was made from the Great Deku Tree's bark. It was strong, and I liked the way it felt when I put it on my arm. Navi was happy, and so was I. I went right up to Mido and showed him the shield and sword. He couldn't believe it.

"You got the Kokiri Sword? You got it? How'd you do it?" He shook his head, still mad, but he didn't have any more reasons not to let me by. He stepped aside, grumbling to himself. I heard a few words, "Saria", "fairy", and "Great Deku Tree" mostly. But I ignored him, walking down the path. Even though I had been down it many times before, this time it was different. It was only me, and I had a sword and shield.

I was going to see the Great Deku Tree, and this time, I had a fairy.

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	2. The Adventure of Link

Chapter Two

**The Adventure of Link**

The path to the Great Deku Tree didn't seem the same as it had before. I didn't know what, but I found out pretty fast. A flower on the ground suddenly shot up, taller than my head, and started swinging around. I didn't know what to do, but when it hit me I shot out my arm at it, and since I was still holding the Kokiri Sword, I accidentally cut the stem of it. It shriveled away, leaving a stick behind. Navi said it was called a Deku Stick. I was confused. Why were monsters around the Great Deku Tree? Was I supposed to kill them, like I did this one? Or should I leave them alone?

But I didn't have a choice. Two others popped up three feet away from me, blocking my way. Navi flew around me kind of nervously. "Come on, Link, let's go!"

"What are those?" I asked her.

"Deku Babas! Hurry up and get rid of them!"

"What, you mean I should kill them?" If they were the Great Deku Tree's plants, I didn't want to hurt them. He had always told us that plants were sacred, of the Goddess Farore, and we should never kill them.

"Ye-es! They're evil plants, they don't belong in the forest! Come on!"

I didn't want to argue with her, so I swung the Kokiri Sword as hard as I could. Both of them flowers withered, leaving two sticks behind. I left those there because I didn't want to carry them. "Come on, Link!" Navi said, flying ahead of me. I put the sword away and turned the corner, coming out in the Great Deku Tree's meadow.

The meadow was huge, bigger than our field, but I guess the Great Deku Tree needed lots of room. There was only grass, and smaller trees all around like a wall. I could see a few of the weird flowers, the ones that Navi called Deku Babas, by some of the Great Deku Tree's roots. The Great Deku Tree himself took up more than half the meadow, and his roots went all over the place. His leaves reached all across the meadow, so the light looked kind of green when the sun was high.

He really did look sick. His bark wasn't as brown as it had been. It was kind of grayish now, and his leaves were changing color. He had once told us a story where the trees had leaves that changed color and fell off in the fall, before the tree spirits fell asleep for the winter. But fall was for the outsiders. In our forest, it only meant that something wasn't healthy, something wasn't right. Navi flew right up to him. "Great Deku Tree...I'm back!" she called.

The Great Deku Tree saw her, and said in his slow, tree-ish kind of voice, "Navi, you have returned. And you brought Link."  
I followed Navi up to the Great Deku Tree's trunk. I wanted to climb onto his root and tell him a story to make him feel better, but I didn't think Navi would let me. The Great Deku Tree didn't seem to want a story right now.

"Great Deku Tree, what's wrong?" I asked him.

He laughed, kind of sadly, though I don't know how he could do that. "Time flies onward, Link. People come and go, and they fade, and we, the plants of the earth, fade also.Do not be saddened, for it is the nature of the world."

What did that mean? Was the Great Deku Tree...dying? "Great Deku Tree, are you sick?" I asked.

"Listen closely, Link, and thou too, Navi, for you must aid Link with your power in the journey to come. An evil man of the desert did this to me...He put a curse upon me, and an evil creature now dwells within me...Link, I need thou to lend me thy courage in this dark hour. Only thou can break the curse that lies within me. Wilst thou do this for me, Link?"

I didn't know what to say. A curse from an evil man from the desert...what was a desert, anyway? my first thought was of the man from my dreams...but he wasn't a Kokiri. He couldn't come into the forest. It must have been someone else.

And what did he mean by "courage"? I'm not brave. I can't stand up to Mido like Saria can, I won't jump from high places or run across the bridge really fast for a dare like the Twins will do, and I'm not very important like Mido is. I'm not brave...but the Great Deku Tree needed me. I would do it for him.

"Great Deku Tree, I'll go, but I'm not very brave," I told him. I wanted to help, but if I was just going to mess things up he shouldn't send me. Maybe Mido would do it.

The Great Deku Tree laughed, but it wasn't a mean laugh. "Thou art not brave, Link, but courageous, like the Goddess Farore. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the idea that something is more important than thy fear. But thank you, Link."

Then his mouth opened, really, really wide. I didn't even know it could go that far. "Go forth, Link," he said, and I wondered how he managed to talk with his mouth open so big. "And ye too, Navi...Go forth and break the curse that lies upon me. May fourtune guide thee."

It felt kind of weird, but I guess it didn't matter, since he was a tree, so Navi and me walked right into the Great Deku Tree's mouth.

The inside was creepier than I thought it would be. I could see more of those weird flowers, and a path around the wall, and a ladder, and a lot of vines. I looked up and saw a lot of spiderwebs, and I noticed that the Great Deku Tree was really, really big. I walked forward, but stopped when I stepped on something strange. A big spiderweb was on the floor, stretching over a giant hole. Navi said that she could see through the web, and so could I, but all I saw was water. That must be why the Great Deku Tree was never thirsty or anything.

Navi flew over to the vines and flew up and down excitedly. "Link, look at this!" she said. "The vines are big and the wall has a rough texture--I bet you could climb it!"

I really didn't want to trust a vine to hold me, so I headed for the ladder. But I made sure to remember what she said. Navi seemed to know what she was tlaking about. Up the ladder and across the path (some of the floor was missing, and I had to jump) was a different kind of wall. Navi nearly turned green with excitement, like I've seen Saria's fairy do sometimes. "Look!" she said. "A door! All you have to do is push on it to open it, Link. Wow, I didn't know these would be in the forest!"

I didn't see the big deal, but it _was _strange. Was this one of those things that outsiders used? Still wondering why all this was in the Great Deku Tree, I walked in--and got hit in the face by a nut, which a little plant creature spat at me.

"Hey!" I shouted to it, bouncing back another nut with my sheild. It hit the little creature in the head,and it squeaked and ran around the room. I didn't know what to do, exactly. Navi flew up to it, looking at it. It didn't seem to see her as it ran around some more.

"It's a Deku Scrub!" she said. "Don't be afraid--anything that hurts you isn't of the forest, and that desert man created it to hurt the Great Deku Tree!" So I ran after it. I finally caught up to it after a few minutes, but before I could do anything, it squeaked again and yelled, "Ouch! Ouch! Okay, okay, you win, Master! If you spare me, I'll tell you a secret! When you jump off a high place, if you roll, you won't be hurt! Well," it added, with an evil little squeak, "not unless the cliff is really, really high...Hehehe!"

Then it dived into the hole and was gone. A door that I didn't see before made a noise, and as I looked I saw shining bars slide away. I guess that meant that I could leave now. I pushed the door open, going into another big room. Well, it wasn't exactly big, but all these rooms were bigger than my house and Saria's together. There was a kind of wooden box on a ledge nearby. Between that ledge and where I was standing was a little platform. I jumped to it...and it started to shake. I jumped to the other side as fast as I could, but not before the platform fell, breaking into pieces on the ground. I wondered how I would leave, but before that, I wanted to see what was in the box.

It wasn't really a box. It was more of what the Great Deku Tree had described once as a chest. And inside it was something I had seen before--a slingshot. "This shouldn't be a problem to use, huh, Link?" Navi commented cheerfully, flying around the room. "Hey!" she said suddenly. She was floating around a ladder, which was hanging above the door we came in from. "Look! A ladder! I bet you could knock it down!" I found a little pouch of tiny nuts, Deku Nuts, I guessed, considering the names of stuff around here, and put them in my pocket. I took one and put it in the slingshot. I aimed at the ladder and fired. It fell straight down, and I jumped down and climbed up it. Then I went through the rooms and back to the big place where we came in.

This time I noticed a lot of vines on one wall, with a lot of little spiders on it. They shouldn't be a problem, I guessed. But as soon as I started to climb, one turned purple, looking really mad, and ran into me, knocking me off the vines. Navi flew up to one. "It's a Skullwalltula!" she told me. "Just hit it with your slingshot!" I didn't even try to remember the creature's name this time. (I couldn't even pronounce it.) I fired Deku Nuts at all the spiders, and once it was safe I climbed up the vines.

This time there were spiderwebs all over the place. I saw a gap between some further up, but when I got close, a huge spider flew out of nowhere and knocked me into the wall. Navi started to get excited again, saying something about a "Big Skulltula", but I wasn't paying attention. I needed to beat this thing so I could see where I was. It kept turning around and around and around. I tried to attack it, but the Kokiri Sword bounced off its face, which really did look like a skull. And it still kept turning around...and around...and around. Finally, I just got fed up with it an attacked it again, this time hitting its back. It screeched and flew back up to its web on the ceiling. So that was it; you needed to hit them in the back. But I didn't want to hit this one again, so I just finished it off with the Slingshot.

Since the ledge was free of monsters for now, I looked over the edge carefully. I could see the web on the floor, a long, long way down. "Navi," I asked her, "How do we get through?"

But then, being that close to the edge, I lost my balance and fell. I let out a yell, remembering what the Deku Scrub had said, and rolled. It worked, but my back was sore afterwards. The web bounced, almost breaking itself. And then I got it.

This time, I climbed all the way up again easily. I didn't stop, jumping off the edge of the path. I couldn't help yelling again, but this time I didn't roll. I felt myself hitting the web hard...and then I felt it break. I fell with a really loud splash into the water. "Ouch," I said, though all that came out of my mouth were bubbles. I swam up, climbing onto the shore. There was something on the wall ahead, and another one on the wall behind me. Navi flew back and forth between them. "It's a Gold Skulltula--it's a Gold Skulltula!" she was shouting. I picked one and hit it with a couple of Deku Nuts. It crawled away, leaving a medallion behind it. I crawled up the vines on the wall to get it. _Maybe it'll be useful later_, I thought, so I put it in my pocket. Then I did the same to the other one.

Now I had to find a way out of here. I could climb the vines up to the main room, but that wouldn't do any good. There were more spiderwebs in front of a door, but I couldn't break through that.

But there WAS a torch...and a Deku Baba was nearby.

I hit the Deku Baba with the kokiri Sword before it had a chance to attack me, and took the stick it left behind. Then I climbed up to the ledge with the torch and lit the stick. I ran over to the web and touched the fire to it. It burst into flames, burning down in seconds. I couldn't help but feel a little scared again--what kind of person would put fire in the Deku Tree? surely they've got to know how bad fire is!

There was a maze of rooms through the door, and they were all the same. Only, some had puzzles and things in them. Not too hard, just stuff like lighting all the torches with a Deku Stick and pressing a few switches. Then finally, I came out in the room where I first fell through the web. There was more web on the floor here, and some torches too. I could figure it out this time. I lit a Deku stick, dropping it on the web. Only, I forgot that I was still standing on it. I fell through, landing in some more water. The Deku Tree must get very thirsty sometimes.

By the water's edge I saw three Deku Scrubs. They all shot up and attacked me all at once. I got my shield up in time, and then I remembered something another Deku Scrub had told me earlier. Something about his brothers, Queen Gohma, and "twenty-three is number one." I guessed it was a code or something. So I tried it. I hit the second Scrub, then the third, then the first. The first tried to run, but I chased him, and he gave up. "Ouch! Ouch!" it squeaked. "Spare me, Master, and I'll tell you something cool! You can only defeat Queen Gohma when her eye is red! I'm sorry, Queenie!" Then he dived into his hole and went away. I had no idea what he meant, but I got the feeling that I was about to find out.

There was one last door here, and I knew that something big was behind it, the "Queen Gohma" that the Scrubs talked about. I didn't want to be scared, but...I was. And then I remembered what the Great Deku Tree had said to me. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the idea that soemthing is more important than thy fear." The Great Deku Tree was more important to me than this "Queen Gohma," wasn't he? I felt much braver--much more courageous--so I pushed open the door and went inside. It was dark, damp, and cold in there. There were spiderwebs all over the place. It was really creepy. I took a step inside...and the door slammed shut behind me. I didn't need to test it to know that it was shut for good. Then a clicking, rustling noise came from the ceiling, and a gigantic yellow eye opened and looked right at me. A giant spider fell from the ceiling, shaking the floor.

Gohma, the queen of the spiders.

She ran right at me, and I slashed at her with the Kokiri Sword. She didn't even feel it. She knocked me over with one of her legs, screeching. I couldn't hit her from here with the Sword, so I pulled out the slingshot and hit her right in the eye. She screeched again, and collapsed. Since she was just sitting there, not moving at all, I attacked her with the Kokiri Sword. This time, I could feel it hitting her, and it was doing some good after all.

But then she was up again, running away to hang upside down from the ceiling. She just sat there, then made a funny noise. Three eggs dropped from nowhere and broke open on the floor, and three little creatures--Gohma Larva, Navi told me--ran towards me. I managed to get them all, but just barely, and then Gohma dropped from the ceiling again.

This time I knew what to do. I hit her with the Slingshot, then with the Kokiri Sword, hoping that it would work.

And it did. Gohma let out a loud screech, then collapsed again, and then she just kind of...faded away. A blue ring of light appeared where her body was. Navi was celebrating, flying all around, but when she saw the blue light, she stopped and looked at it. "It's okay...just walk into it, Link! It'll take us back to the Great Deku Tree!"

I decided to take her word for it, stepping into the light. I could feel the room disappearing around me...and then it was sunny, and we were outside the Great Deku Tree once again. "Well done, Link," he said, sounding happy, but really tired. "And well done, Navi. The curse is broken."

Navi started flying around again, happy too, but I didn't say anything. The Great Deku Tree still looked really sick. "Great Deku Tree, are you well again?"

He sighed sadly. "Link, although thy efforts to free me were successful, the desert man sapped me of my power. I will die soon, but do not grieve for me. I need thou to do me one last favor..."

"Great Deku Tree--!" I didn't know what to say. Did I do something wrong? Did I not kill Gohma right, or something?

"Link...come hither. Let me tell you one last story." I climbed up on his roots, sitting by him, and leaned against his bark. It was warm once, but now it was as cold as stone. Navi rested on top of my head as the Great Deku Tree told us one last story.

"In the beginning, our ountry of Hyrule was a swirling chaos, with no real form and no living beings to be found. Then the Goddesses came from the heavens to bestow life upon the land. Din, with her strong flaming arms, created the red earth. Nayru poured her wisdom over the land, giving the land order and law. And Farore created the plants and the creatures, giving the land life. Then the Goddesses departed unto the heavens. Where they disappeared, they left the TriForce, three golden sacred triangles. The land where the TriForce dwells is now called the Sacred Realm."

I listened carefully, trying to remember it all. If I didn't, though, Navi could remind me later. But I liked this story. I never knew that the Goddesses created the_whole_ world! I had always thought it was just the forest we lived in...there's a lot I don't know. "Link...I want thee to have this. Take this, the Spiritual Stone of the forest, for it was for this that the desert man wanted, and for this he cursed me."

His branches shook, and something green fell from them. I caught it, and looked it over while Navi flew around excitedly. "It's the Kokiri Emerald! The Kokiri Emerald! Link!" The Kokiri Emerald had gold in it too, ste around the edge like it was holding the emerald together. It was really pretty...but kind of girly. The Great Deku Tree smiled. I arapped my arms around hsi trunk (as best as I could, anyway) and hugged him. "Thank you, Great Deku Tree. "

"Go to the castle and give this to the princess, Link. I beseech thee...Link...Navi...good...bye..."

I could feel his warmth fade away, and then he was colder than ever before. A red leaf fell from his branches and onto my tunic. I looked up, and the dead leaves were falling like rain...falling like the tears of the Goddesses.

I slid down his root and left. Before I turned the corner, I looked back. The Deku Tree looked almost peaceful...I guess he was happy that his stone was safe. And it was. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to it, now or ever.

"Goodbye, Great Deku Tree," Navi said sadly, as she followed me back to Kokiri Forest.


	3. Twilight Falls Over the Princess

(**A/N**: In Chapter Two, I described a lot of the dungeon. Why? I wanted to show you guys how naïve and klutzy Link can be. Also, I wanted to impress the general feel of dungeons on you. I promise, the other dungeons won't be so detailed, especially the Water Temple, because I still don't know how I get through that one! And you all can relate to being locked out of the castle, right? I could never get there in time myself! Also, a cookie to anyone who can guess the chapter-naming pattern!)

* * *

Chapter Three

**Twilight Falls Over the Princess**

I wanted to get going right away, to see the princess like the Great Deku Tree had said. But it wasn't going to be that easy. Mido was still there, keeping guard, and he wouldn't let me by.

"Link! Did the Great Deku Tree…did he…die?" he demanded. If he could tell already, it would be better not to lie. I nodded.

"What did you do? I knew someone like you would mess everything up! Sheesh!" Then he went away, and I had a pretty good idea where he was going. I just stood there, not exactly sure what just happened. Did he just blame me for killing the Deku Tree? And now he would tell everyone else…

Hopefully Saria would believe me…but I didn't have time. I had to get to the castle before dark, and I didn't know how far it was. I ran to my house, grabbing a bag to hold all my things in. I dropped the Slingshot, the Deku Nuts, the Kokiri's Emerald, and the leaf that had fallen on me from the Great Deku Tree. I wished I had something else to bring, because I didn't know when I would be back.

Then I unsheathed the Kokiri Sword, thinking I would return it. I would keep the shield, since I had bought it…but I was only borrowing the sword. It belonged to the forest, in case something happened. But then I put it back. I might need it while I looked for the princess. No one would miss it. I held it in my hand for a minute--it was my sword, for now anyway. Then I put it back, tossed all of my rupees in my bag, and left, heading out the passage to the outside world before anyone could stop me.

I really wished I didn't have to leave without saying goodbye, but I would be back soon. Then I would prove to everyone that it wasn't me, that it was a man from the desert who cursed the Great Deku Tree. I ran across the bridge, still hoping no one would stop me. It would be easier that way.

But there was someone behind me, I could hear them…and when I turned around, Saria was there.

"Are you leaving, Link?" she said sadly. "I always knew…I knew you would someday. You're different from the rest of us…but that's okay, because we'll be friends forever, right?"

I nodded. She had her ocarina in her hand, and she held it out to me. "Take this, Link. And when you play it, you'll think of me, and remember to come back…won't you?"

I took it from her, not knowing what to say. That's her most treasured possession…she never went anywhere without it. So why was she giving it to me, just like that? I told myself I was just borrowing it, and I would bring it back. I'd see her again, and everyone else too. I turned it over in my hand, thinking that at least I got the souvenir I had wanted.

We just sat and looked at each other for a minute. I was afraid that she had heard the rumor Mido was spreading, and even though I didn't want her to believe it, I didn't want to explain. Maybe they would all understand someday. I hope so, anyway.

Without thinking, I turned and ran out of the forest, Saria watched me go--I could feel her eyes on me. I turned back, once, but when I looked she was gone again. "Bye, Saria," I said anyway, leaving Kokiri Forest for the first time in my life.

The sun was really bright outside. It was a few hours until dark, which was good, because I needed to get to the castle right away. But where was it? I followed the path, which was closed in by more trees like in the forest. When I turned the corner, the first thing I saw was a big owl on a branch above my head.

"Hoo, Link! I've been waiting for you!" It looked at me in a really weird way, its head turning almost all the way around. I wished it wouldn't. "I'm Kaepora Gaebora. I've heard a lot about you, Link--you're very courageous, very courageous indeed."

I really wished he'd stop moving his head around like that, it was making me feel a little sick.

"The princess is in Hyrule Castle, straight ahead. You can't miss it, hoo-oo! Better get there before they close the gates!"

And then he flew away. I watched him go, not exactly sure what he just said. Navi flew ahead, looking over the field. "Link, come on, he said it was this way--Wow! Link, come look at this!"

I followed her to a little rise in the ground. A huge field was in front of us, nothing but grass as far as we could see. It had to be at least twice as big as the Great Deku Tree's meadow, no, three times--forget that, it was bigger than Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods combined! I couldn't see anything but the field itself, except for a few trees, but there was something really far away that looked like a wall in the middle of nowhere. Navi flew higher to see it.

"It looks like a big house!" she told me. I wanted to see it, but we didn't have time. The owl said that the gates to the castle closed at dusk, so we had to move fast. Navi flew towards a sign nearby, stuck in the ground. The paint had washed off because of all the wind and rain, I guessed, but I could still read it.

HYRULE FIELD LON LON RANCH à HYRULE CASTLE à

"This way, Link!" Navi called, flying the way the sign pointed. I followed her, looking around Hyrule Field. I felt so tiny…there's so much space there. "Navi, what's a castle?" I asked her.

"It's like a big, stone house…I'll show you when we get there, if we reach it in time!"

I ran as fast as I could, Navi flying in front of me. But soon I had to stop. I couldn't run for a long time anymore. We were so far from the forest…

This didn't feel right. I was a Kokiri--I was never supposed to leave. I would, if the Great Deku Tree wanted me to…but did this mean I wasn't a Kokiri anymore? I hoped not, because outsiders aren't allowed in the forest, and I promised I'd be back.

We made it just in time. By the time we could see the gate, it was almost dark. We ran up to it, and when I saw it up close, it felt really familiar. But I had never been there before…I was just being weird again. This is what got the Great Deku Tree in so much trouble, I reminded myself. I still swear to the Goddesses we were actually standing on the gate when the gateman started to close it. I jumped backwards as the drawbridge started to lift, locking us out of the castle for the night. "Hey!" Navi yelled. "Wait"  
The gateman said something about the gate opening at dawn, but he didn't let us in. Navi flew about, furious at him, but I was looking at the walled house, far away from the castle. "Navi, can we stay at the big house over there?" I asked her. There was another sign nearby that she was looking at. "Lon Lon Ranch?" she read, "No, it's probably closed too. Let's just sleep out here."

"Okay…do you hear something?" There was a rustling noise, like something was dragging through the grass. It was coming from behind me. I turned around and came face-to-face with a walking skeleton.

"A Stalchild!" Navi cried, hiding in my hat. I pulled out my sword, swinging it at the creature. Its head fell off, but it didn't seem to mind. I attacked the body, and it fell apart, the bones collapsing in a pile on the grass. I was about to put up my sword when two more popped up from the ground, dragging their feet bones on the ground.

"Quick! In the moat!" Navi told me, still inside my hat.

"What's a moat?"

"The water over there, go!"

Wondering why water was right outside the gate's wall, I jumped into the water. Navi flew out of my hat, still dry. The Stalchildren were still after us, not bothered by the water. But when one fell in, only a couple of feet away from me, it howled and fell apart. The other one didn't seem to notice, and it fell in the water too. And there were still more…didn't they ever give up?

I swam around the moat, hoping to get away from the monsters. They kept coming out of the ground, falling into the water and coming apart. How stupid were they? I was just about to get out again and go somewhere else, when a cuckoo crowed somewhere (I guessed it was in the castle) and all the Stalchildren howled and disappeared underground. The sun was up, and before long the gate was open again. I didn't say anything to the gateman--I wasn't sure it was still him--and followed the stone path to the tower sticking up in the sky.

This couldn't be the castle--there were shops everywhere, and a couple of streets led off of here. There were lots of people around, all big and grown-up, and all wearing really funny clothes. I looked around for someone my size. A little girl was chasing a cuckoo, around and around, running into people all over the place. I ran after her, but she was fast, and I was tires, so I couldn't catch her until she stopped, out of breath. "That cuckoo is fast!" was all she said to me. She wasn't a Kokiri at all. She was too little. All the Kokiri were my size, at least. I searched around the big place, but everyone else was tall, old, and busy-looking.

"Navi, is this the castle?" I asked her.

"No, this is just the marketplace! Come on, the castle is up there!" I followed her to a path that led out of the marketplace, but there was someone else there. It was a girl with red hair, just my size. I'd never seen anyone with red hair, but Saria had green hair, so I guessed that it wasn't anything strange. She was dressed funny, too, but different from the others. "Are you a Kokiri?" I asked her. She giggled.

"No, what's that? I'm Malon, from Lon Lon Ranch near here. Nice to meet you!" She had a nice voice, I thought. "Are you from the forest? You're dressed funny, like the forest people are!"

Navi was waiting for me up the path, but I wanted to talk to Malon, so I stayed. Malon kept talking to me, sounding bored by all the people in the marketplace. "My dad went to go bring milk to the castle, but he's not back yet…"

"I'm going to the castle," I told her. She clapped her hands together happily.

"Good, I'm glad! If you see him, will you tell him that I'm waiting for him? Thanks!"

"Bye," I said, following Navi up the hill to the castle. The path went straight ahead, then it turned to the right. Around the corner was another gate, with a man in armor guarding it. I went up to him and asked him if I could see the princess. He started laughing.

"Hahaha! You want to see the princess? Hahaha! A kid like you?" He stopped, turning serious. "Sorry, little guy. Someone tried to sneak in, so the security's tight now. I couldn't even let a dog in. So go on, go back home."

I went back down the path, thinking that I could sneak in somehow. Around the corner, I nearly ran into Malon, who was humming a song and looking around the corner at the guard. "So you are from the forest!" she said happily, looking at Navi. "Dad says that people form the forest have fairies and wear green clothes, but I didn't see your fairy! Fairy Boy, do you need to get in the castle?"

I nodded. She pointed to some vines on the wall. "This is a secret way. No one knows it's here, hee hee hee! Oh, here, take this, in case you find my dad!" She gave me an egg, stepping back so I could climb up the wall. I put the egg in my bag, hoping I had enough rupees to keep it safe, and started to climb.

From here, I could see everything. I just sat and stared at the castle, amazed at how big it was. The castle was white, tall and really pretty, There were towers and windows and even little flags with a weird symbol on them waving everywhere. I hadn't ever seen anything so big, except the Great Deku Tree. Did the princess really live here? If she did, she must be really important.

I kept my eyes on the castle as I jumped down on the other side of the gate. The guard never even saw me there. But around the corner were more…I dodged them and found a place where I could jump over the other gate, right in front of the castle. There was another moat, and another bridge, but it was up. I realized that the only way in was to swim up the moat, so I jumped in. There were a couple of rupees at the bottom, which I grabbed before the current started to push me. I swam against it, coming out on another side of the castle. A man was sleeping nearby, blocking the way. If he would move, I could jump to a tiny hole I could see in the wall nearest me.

I took a good look at him, deciding he must be Malon's dad. I took out her egg and set it by his head. Nothing happened. Navi flew into my hat again. "Link, why don't we rest here until morning? Aren't you tired?"

I kind of was--the Stalchildren wouldn't let me sleep last night. It was already late afternoon, and I couldn't see the sun anymore. I found some soft grass under a tree and fell asleep.

A loud crowing noise woke me up. Then I heard a man's voice shout, "What in tarnation!" I opened my eyes and saw a baby cuckoo running around, and the man sitting up. Some broken eggshells were on the ground next to him. I went over to him, feeling much less tired now. "Hello, and who might you be?" the man said. "Well, I'm Talon," he said, introducing himself first. Say--is that one of my cuckoos?"

I nodded. "Malon gave it to me. She's waiting for you."

The man gasped. "Malon's waiting for me? Oh no! How long was I gone? She's going to be so mad…I have to go!"

He ran off, faster than I thought he could run. I wondered why he was so worried--Malon didn't seem too upset--but I didn't have time to go find him and ask. I jumped across the moat, crawling into the little hole in the wall. This was a garden, of some kind. And there were guards everywhere. I still don't know how I ever got past them all, but after dodging a lot of guards I found an open place around the corner. Navi said it was called a courtyard. I saw a girl inside--could that be the princess?

The girl was looking through a window, and she didn't hear me come up behind her. Wondering what she was looking at, I stood on my toes to see over her head. All I could see were a few guards and a lot of stone. She must have seen my reflection move, though, because she gasped and turned around.

"Oh--sorry--who are you? Are you…is that…" She has spotted Navi now. "Is that a fairy?" I nodded, thinking that this was a very strange way to meet someone. But then, so had every other meeting so far. Her eyes got really round, and she put her hands together, looking, for some reason, hopeful about something.

"Then, by any chance, would you happen to have…the Spiritual Stone of the Forest? That green and shining stone…" I nodded again, though I didn't want to show it to her. I had to keep it safe until I found the princess, so I could give it to her.

"I knew it!" the girl said happily. "You see?I havd a strange dream last night. Twilight fell over our land, and dark clouds gathered over all of Hyrule, evil clouds that would destroy us all. But the a bright ray of light came from the forest, and a figure with a green and shining stone and a fairy came out of the darkness, and the clouds disappeared. I knew that this was a prophecy that someone would come from the forest, someone with a fairy and the Spiritual Stone, so I was waiting for you! Oh, I'm sorry," she said suddenly. "I've been rambling on about my dream, I completely forgot to introduce myself!" She looked at the ground, as if she was embarrassed. "I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

So this was the princess! I never guessed that she would be out here.g on smiled at me. "What's your name?"

"Link," I answered, and she got a strange look on her face.

"Link…strange, it sounds so…familiar…" I wanted to tell her that she looked familiar too?I hwas getting the feeling that I'd seen her before. But I wasn't sure exactly how I would tell her. Suddenly, I just felt like keeping my mouth shut in front of her. She's a princess, after all. "I was spying through this window when you came," she told me. "Do you want to look?"

She was asking me to eavesdrop?Ion someone in her own house! Well, castle. But I still didn't want to open my mouth, so I went up to the window and looked inside. A man in black armor that I couldn't see before was kneeling in front of, I guessed, the throne. I couldn't see the king. I watched the man, thinking that he looked familiar too. For my first time outside the forest, I was sure meeting a lot of people I already knew.

"See the man with the black armor and the evil eyes?" I saw black armor and nothing else, but I nodded anyway. "That is Ganondorf Dragmire, the Gerudo King." What was a Gerudo? "He pledges loyalty to my father, but I am sure he is not sincere. The dark clouds in my dream?I hbelieve that they symbolize that man in there!"

How did I get wrapped up in this again? All I came here to do was give the princess the Kokiri's Emerald, not help her figure out what her dreams meant. Still, the man did look pretty evil…

And then suddenly he looked right at me. I ducked, and Zelda did too, but he had seen me. After a few seconds, Zelda peeked over the windowsill. She stood up, and so did I.

"Did he see you?" I nodded. "Don't worry, he has no idea what we're planning."

Since when were we planning anything? Zelda continued, looking really happy, but for some reason I knew this would include me, and I didn't want it to. "Link, first, let me tell you a story passed down through my family…you won't tell, will you?"

More stories? They aren't fun to listen to if you can't tell them to someone else, I wanted to tell her, but I nodded anyway.

"When the Goddesses left the newly created world, they left behind the TriForce and the Sacred Realm. The TriForce, infused with the Goddesses' power, was separated into three parts; Power, Wisdom, and Courage. It is said that whoever holds the TriForce in their hands will be granted their heart's desire. To guard the TriForce's otherworldly power, the Hylians of old built the Temple of Time. Only one with all three Spiritual Stones, and one other treasure passed down through the Royal Family, could enter."

Zelda's eyes were shining. "Don't you see, Link? Ganondorf must be after the TriForce itself, and will destroy all of Hyrule to get to it! But if we can get it before he does…"

What exactly was she saying? Was it possible for us to get the TriForce? Were we allowed to? And what would we do with it when we got it?

"Link," Zelda said excitedly, "I have the final key to the TriForce. The Ocarina of Time, in my possession. I will guard it with all my power. Ganondorf shall not have it! But I need you to find the other two Spiritual Stones right away! Will you do it?"

For a minute I wanted to say no. All I was supposed to do was give her the Kokiri Emerald, like the Great Deku Tree said, and go back to the forest. But it looked like I wouldn't be going back for a while. I nodded, thinking about the TriForce. If I got a wish, could I make the Deku Tree alive again…?

Zelda laughed and clapped her hands together happily. "Good! That's good! My attendant, Impa, will lead you out of here, so the castle guards don't catch you. Good luck! I'll be waiting here for you!"

I waved to her, but she was already spying through the window again. Her attendant was in front of the entrance to the courtyard. She was tall, and she had red eyes and a strange symbol on the front of her outfit. She nodded to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Link. I am Impa, of the Shiekahs, and Princess Zelda's guardian. Your journey will often be difficult, so if you are ever in need of the power of the Royal Family, you should play this song. I used to sing it to Zelda before she went to sleep when she was a baby."

Zelda was a baby once? Then she can't be a Kokiri. I did think it was strange that a Kokiri princess would live so far from the forest, but if she wasn't one of us, how could the Great Deku Tree have known her, then? But before I could ask, Impa put two fingers to her mouth and whistled a tune. It was slow and pretty, a good lullaby, I guess. I found Saria's ocarina and tried to play along with her. She whistled it again, and I got it right. Impa smiled.

"That is called Zelda's Lullaby. I hope it will be of use to you. Now come, and I'll lead you out of the castle. It won't do for the guards to catch you on your way out."

I looked back at Zelda, still spying on Ganondorf through the window. And I thought, as I left, that the Gerudo King really did have evil eyes.

* * *

(**A/N** again: I know, really long. I didn't know it would be, this is a really short part of the game. Oh, well. Hope you liked it!) 


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